This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A public declaration of loyalty and devotion to the LDS Church received a resounding boo on Saturday.
In Utah County.
The melodrama-type raspberries from the Utah County Republican Central Committee came in response to one member's plea for approval of a motion to incorporate the Utah Compact as the party's position on illegal-immigration policy.
The church has endorsed the compact, which urges compassion as well as respect for undocumented workers and favors a policy that keeps families together.
But when member Val Hale, former athletic director of Brigham Young University, cited the church's support for the compact as a reason for the political body to embrace it, he got booed.
Earlier, the county party's public relations representative, Sherry Hall-Everett, sent a memo to members stating that by supporting the compact "you will be shoulder to shoulder with some of the finest people and organizations in Utah."
Apparently, that didn't impress the members. They resoundingly voted the resolution down. It needed a two-thirds vote. It didn't even get a majority.
Perhaps the argument from compact opponent Keri Witte carried more weight than the church's endorsement. She pointed out in an email to members that President Barack Obama liked the compact.
That's probably a stake in the heart for any resolution proposed in Utah County.
A competing resolution, which emphasized enforcement and opposed using taxpayer dollars for any benefits to illegal immigrants, passed the two-thirds requirement.
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Where's Waldo • When the City Creek Center celebrated its one-year anniversary Friday, many dignitaries were there to honor one of the most ambitious retail projects in the West and its success during the first year.
But there was one glaring absence. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker was not in attendance at the celebration of his city's crown jewel and business and tourism magnet.
Becker wasn't available to join Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, Gov. Gary Herbert and other dignitaries for the event.
But here's what he would have said had he been there: "City Creek Center has redefined and enhanced our downtown area in ways too numerous to count. As we celebrate the first anniversary of this fantastic project, I look forward to both its continued success and a downtown area that is continuing to grow and evolve into a truly spectacular commercial, residential and cultural center — not just for our community but of the entire region."
At least that's what the City Creek Center press release said he said.
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Actions and words • Utah Sen. Mike Lee said during the Conservative Political Action Conference last week and again during his Saturday national radio address giving the weekly Republican point of view, that the government needs to present a responsible budget that doesn't go beyond its means and that private citizens should watch out for each other rather than rely on the government to take care of them.
Speaking of personal responsibility, this is the same guy who took out a $1.2 million mortgage loan, including a second loan to fund a last-minute media blitz during his primary election campaign in 2010, only to sell short for $800,000 when he couldn't make his payments, leaving the bank and its shareholders holding the bag for $400,000.